Homeless

Chapter 27

Three days later, Chris called to let us know they were ready. It was late in the afternoon, and Claire had a prior engagement. I couldn't leave Mark alone or with anyone other than Claire, so we took him with us to Chris' office.

Nathaniel drove slowly and carefully so as to not jolt Mark in the backseat.

"Where are we going?" Mark asked. I glanced back at him for the hundredth time. We had brought down with us several pillows and a thick blanket to the car, and made his seat as comfortable and cushiony as possible.

Mark was looking out the window at the bustling city, the sunset brought out golden highlights in his hair and lashes. The colorful drawings that Kellian and Cecile had made in his arm cast looked particularly bright in the orange light.

I chewed on my cheek. I hadn't told Mark about our plan to take down the House, and I didn't know whether he noticed. But given that Chris visited more often and that we weren't particularly careful about keeping our voices low when discussing the matter, Mark must have an inclination that something was going on.

Nathaniel and I glanced at each other. He shrugged and focused on the road. It was my call. I sighed.

"Well," I began. "Chris is helping us do something."

"What?" Mark asked.

"We're trying to take down the House," I told him. Silence. I looked over my shoulder. Mark was staring at me with wide eyes. His freckles stood out against the pallor of his skin.

"Really?" he whispered. "Can he do that?"

"We're working on it. We hope our plan will succeed," I told him truthfully.

He frowned. "Is that okay? What if they know we're doing this and they come after us again?"

"No one will hurt you, Mark," Nathaniel said, meeting my brother's eyes in the rearview mirror. "You and your sister are safe."

Mark slowly nodded, his frown still present. He looked out the window, his eyes lost in a reality different from the world outside the car. His fingers flicked over his thigh. It'd been a while since he did that. Maybe I shouldn't have told him.

I leaned my head against the window and closed my eyes. There was no use worrying about it now. He would have to know sooner or later, and I was beginning to realize that Mark was more resilient than I gave him credit for.

We reached Chris' office after nightfall. This had been the most active time of the day in the House, when clients began trickling in and the Dispensables were summoned to the guests' wing to provide entertainment.

I stepped out of the car. The parking lot of Chris' office building was half full. The bodyguards' car parked a few spots down from us, and three men stepped out.

There were lights and spotlights everywhere, illuminating the gardens around the main building. The glass windows of the headquarters were lit up like a checkerboard with more dark windows than light.

Nathaniel, Mark and I made our way to the building, followed by the bodyguards. The three men stayed down in the lobby while we took the elevator up after picking up our badges from the reception. There was no Rosa in the reception, much to my relief. I hadn't exactly been myself the last time we'd been here, and from the amused look Nathaniel shot me, he remembered it well.

We stood in the elevator, Mark between us. Nathaniel looked at me in the mirror of the elevator door and smiled. "Rosa isn't here tonight."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, I noticed."